There are pieces of art that leave quite the impression on anyone fortunate to experience them. Sometimes that impression is more of a slow burn, revealing itself over time. Others grab you by the throat within the first 15 seconds of the experience. Letlive’s Fake History falls decidedly under the latter category. Bursting onto the scene after a handful of years in mostly obscurity, Fake History almost immediately lit the scene on fire upon its 2010 release. It immediately drew comparisons to post-hardcore giants like Glassjaw, mostly from a favorable perspective. However, Letlive set themselves apart quickly with a high-energy live show (one of the biggest reasons for their word-of-mouth growth) and didn’t even require two vocalists to get their point across – not with a talent like Butler, of course.
Not even five seconds into proper opening track “The Sick, Sick 6.8 Billion”, and you know Letlive are not planning on fucking about here. With start-stop dynamics and the huge range of Jason Aalon Butler, it’s also pretty uncanny how huge some of these choruses are. The song tackles the dangers of fanaticism and its drawbacks, and the song’s abrupt tempo changes are a harbinger of things to come on the album as well. Letlive also don’t rely on breakdowns, and interestingly they also involve soul, R&B, and even jazz influences in ways that add to the music – not distract from it. It’s this kind of eclecticism that helped set Letlive apart in the scene.
One of Fake History‘s best qualities is the charisma of vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, which also bleeds into the band as a whole. You might even say it’s their mantra, as the band’s undeniable passion bleeds directly into the topics they tackle. Familial (specifically in the context of marriage and infidelity) strife reigns supreme on album standout “Muther”, That being said, not every song is something to be heavily analyzed to kingdom come. “Renegade 86′” is a solid enough microcosm of the kind of kinetic post-hardcore energy you’ll find on the album, but it’s actually about Jason Aalon Butler’s father. Lyrically, Letlive was always head and shoulders above so many of their peers, with nothing to be found in the way of cliche lyrics or tired metaphors. It’s also one of the rare albums where every song has compelling subject matter. Clearly, these lyrics only could’ve been written with some intensely learned experiences in life.
Letlive’s musical progression from their earlier material wasn’t just the mark of a talented band – it was truly off-the-charts levels of exceptionalism. It’s difficult to listen to songs like album closer “Day 54” and not have your jaw hit the floor at times. From a musical perspective, the drumming is incredibly impressive across the record, with certain moments on “The Sick, Sick 6.8 Billion” and “We, The Pros Of Con” being particularly strong highlights. “Day 54” almost deserves its own paragraph, with its almost seven (!!!) minute runtime describing the issue of extremes, mortality, and tough decisions that one has to make in life. Musically, it’s also quite the gift – its jagged guitars are reminiscent of the tones (lol) you might find on Around The Fur or even White Pony. What’s amazing about a track like this is that it’s not preachy at all – the album only demands that you take stock of your life and the lives of others a bit more.
In retrospect, there was no better time for Letlive to arrive and make their mark on the scene. At a time where tastes were shifting and post-hardcore + metalcore bands were yet again flirting with the mainstream, Letlive’s boundless energy and dissection of religion, culture, and even the music industry itself have all proved to have long-lasting value. It’s an album that immediately set the tone for other bands in the scene that would explode in the 2010s, as well. When you combine the album’s quality and forward-thinking nature with the fact that they were one of the most energetic and passionate bands in the scene, it’s no surprise that Fake History took off like it did.
